Gallant: Did you vote in the Hip Hop awards yet?

Arts and Entertainment Reporter

I’m again taking the promotional opportunity presented by having a column all to myself to encourage you to vote in the first annual Athens Hip Hop Awards that are taking place April 28 at the Georgia Center’s Mahler Hall. You can do your part by heading over to http://chocolatecitylive.com/athens-hip-hop-awards.

Let me attest to the vibrancy of our local hip-hop scene. Some of its top acts have been covered here in the newspaper, and we’ll be writing about some of the younger acts like Dictator soon.

Here’s some more information about the awards that I’ve dug up in the past week. They weren’t started by Athens natives, but by a power couple named Jasmine and Knowa Johnson who moved here from Florida some time ago.

The Johnsons had made some waves further south for their promotion work, which falls under the moniker United Group of Artists, or UGA, perhaps unluckily. What they saw was an opening to promote and elevate the hip-hop scene here in Athens, and I, for one, am excited they’re doing so. Local hip-hop talent goes widely unreported in Athens, due in some part to music journalists, but also to the general disregard for public relations on all creative people.

I think we can change this together.

First, you can keep reading my coverage of the scene. Secondly, you can go support the scene at these awards. They’ve got a red carpet planned and everything. See you there.